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Some of the country's most famous hairdressers have spoken of how Vidal Sassoon influenced their own careers.

As they arrived for a memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral today, John Frieda and Nicky Clarke paid tribute to him as a unique individual.

"He was a revolutionary. There is no doubt about it, the people that are around today, including myself, certainly owe a huge debt to him."

– Hairdresser Nicky Clarke

"I don't think there is anyone in our industry that has achieved what he achieved. He was a man that completely revolutionised the industry in a way no one else ever has."

– Hairdresser John Frieda

Vidal Sassoon was a London-born hairdressing pioner, who invented the "bob" hairstyle which epitomised the Swinging Sixties. Some of his most famous clients were designer Mary Quant, the model Jean Shrimpton and film star Terence Stamp.

He also turned his craft into a multi-million pound industry, creating a network of academies and lending his name to various hair products.

He died at his home in Los Angeles in May, aged 84, after a battle with leukaemia